Carton and closure therefor



June 2, 1942. R, G. THOMPSON 2,285,066

- CARTON yAND oLosURE THEREFOR Filed oct. 4, 1959 F .I f nventor Robt G Thompon d v 2m@ Gttomeg Patented June 2, 1942 I.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARTON ANn oLo'sUR-E. THEREFOR Robert Thompson, Seattle, vWash. Appiicat'ioi-.tobe 4, laa'serial No. v297,826

*(ol. 22e-7) id claims.

F01` a rcarton intended to contain lilaked, granulanror powdered materials, such asrdry cereals, soap flakes, and the like, it is recognized-as desirable that it'be provided with a closure by u.

which; when closed, the contents m-ay be protected from the entry ofdirt, moisture, and the like, or .from spilling, should the carton-be overturned, and which may be easily opened to afford access to the interior oftheY carton, and closed again, as often as is necessary. Notwithstanding the desirability of such a closure, however, it still ,is commercially impracticable .if it ,requires appreciable change in the form of the carton or its blank, particularlyin itsmarginal outline, or in M the manner' of folding or. assembling the carton or itstop. Likewise such a closure must notfadd appreciably to the bulk' of the carton, and it goes without saying thatit must add negligibly to the cost of the carton, for such cartons, after 1 use, are discarded. It should be built in, otherwise it may becomelost, or it may not always be properly applied to the carton, or` some more or less dimcult operation maybe required for its application. It must likewise be simple in form and sure in operation, and notlikely. tostick in a partially open position, or in any position which does not fully and surelyclose the carton. It must be reasonably rugged, and should be protected against damage or accidental openingduring shipment. i n .Y

It is vto the attainment of .the vabove ends,v generally speaking, in the maximum degree, that the present invention isdirected.

Among other and more specifically stated objects of the inventionare; to provide such a closure wherein the closure plate or slide may be formed either Aof thin sheet metal or of the same material as the carton itself; lto provide such a closure slide with simple means whereby it may be secured in v,closed position, with its closing edge well overlapped beyond the edge of the aperture; to provide means for frictionally holding the closure slide in either closed or open position, or both; to provide means to assist in guiding the slide into .its closed position, with respect to the edges of Vthe aperture; and to provide a carton having a temporary closure which assists the slidable closure? in closing the carton during shipment, and which at .such time prevents opening of the sliding closure, and protects the latter, but which may be readily removed for operation of the sliding closure.

It is also an object to provide. such a carton and closure therefore which may readilybe set up and secured in its'flnal assembled'positin',

having the advantages and capabilities outlinedv above.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my invention incorporated in a closure such as a cereal carton, with certain parts broken `away -for clearer illustration. .Figure 2 is a side-to-side vertical section through such a carton, substantially on the line 2-2-of FigureA 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary View similar to Fgure 2, showing parts in their position prior to or at the beginning of the removal of the tearout closure. f f

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3', illustrating a slightly modied form of slidable closure.

Figure 5 isa front-to-rear section through the cartonl and closure, substantialy on the line 5-5 of Figure l. Y

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along a plane indicated by the line 2--2 of Figure 1, and Figure 7 is another enlarged fragmentary detailtaken along a plane parallel tothe general line 5 5 of Figure 1.

`Sinceit is one of the objects of the invention to depart not at all, or as slightly as possible, from the normal lay-out of the carton blank and the manner of its assembly, the carton which incorporates the present invention is or may be, mall-essential respects, substantially identical with a normal carton, save that .within theoutline of its blank certain apertures are formed,

and, by control of the gluing or equivalent securing means, guides are provided for a slidable closure.` The carton, which is represented as the normal rectangular carton, has the two sides 3Kand4, opposite each other, and what may be called the front I and the back 2, all joined together in the usual way. Along the upper edges of each of these sides is hinged `the usual infolding tab; to the front lis hinged the tab I 0, to the backZ is hinged the tab 20, and to the sides 3 and 4 are hinged the respective tabs 30 and 40. Following the usual manner of setting up such a top closure (which maybe altered if for any reasonfthat is'desirable),l the tabs 30 and 40 are first inolded, then the tab I0, and finally, overlapping all, the tab 20.

f These several tabs might be of normal height, or length, from the hinge line to the free swinging edge, and thus the tab l0, which is arranged to underlie the tab 20, might be of a length such that when infolded it just reaches the hinge of the tab Ill.V Instead, however, it vmay be desirable,` for' mutual support and stiffening of this edge of the tab I0, to provide a downwardly directed ap Il, which may be tucked down adjoining the inner face of the back 2, and between the back 2 and the adjoining edges of the tabs 30 and Ml, as is shown in Figures 5 and 7. In like fashion the topmost tab 20 may be formed with a flap 2l (see Figure 5), which may be folded down over and glued to the outer face of the front I, or which may be somewhat reduced in width and received within a slot l2 at the hinge line of the tab I with thefront I (see Figure 1). In the latter instance it lies in contact with, and may be glued to the inner face of the front l, and lies adjacent the edge of the tabs 30 and 4G. Again it is desired to emphasize that the employment of the tabs H and 2l is in no sense necessary, and when used they are principally for the purposes of stiffening of the free edge of each of the overlapping tabs, and, in certain cases where there is but little margin for gluing aboutthe aperture 5, later referred to, these flaps afford additional gluing area. They might well be omitted, particularly if the side edge of the aperture 5 is sufficiently spaced from the hinge line of the tab Il] that the free` edge of the Overlapping or topmost tab 2B may be glued down or otherwise secured to the tab I0, outside the margin of the aperture. It is not intended that the flap Il shall be glued in place; preferably it is left unglued, at least, if glued, it is glued only along its lower margin, but the tab 2l may be, if desired (and usually would be when it is used), glued to the side l.

Since the provision of the flaps l l and 2l uses slightly more material in the blank than tabs which have not such flaps, the tabs 30 and 4|! may likewise be longer than normal, although their length is immaterial. They may be long enough, as shown, to overlap one another, and to be glued together, and preferably both of them, when infolded, underlap the tab I0 and the topmost tab 20. The several tabs, all lying in contiguous planes, when thus infolded and overlapped, are joined to each other in suitable fashion, as by gluing in thenormal manner, or by the employment of staples or stitches, so that the carton, with the tabs thus joined, does not depart appreciably from a normal carton, with its normal top closure, and need not depart therefrom at all in these respects, save that it is not glued over the entire overlapped area of the tabs, as will now be pointed out.

Each of the overlapped tabs is died out to provide it with an aperture, or with a potential aperture, in such a position that when the carton is set up the several apertures will register to define a single aperture affording access to the interior of the carton, whether for pouring out of the contents, or for insertion of a spoon. This aperture is indicated at 5, and in the position shown in the drawings the tabs 20, ID, and 30 are apertured, although the latter might merely be cut off short of the aperture, but the tab 4D, which does not extend down this close to the side 3, is not apertured. While the shape of the aperture is largely immaterial, it is preferred that it be provided with one edge 50 which is a straight edge, and which is positioned generally transversely to the direction of movement of a closure slide 6, which is made of sheet material, and which in turn has an advancing closure edge 60 cooperating with the edge 5B, to or past which it moves to close the aperture.

The sliding closure 6 may be formed of sheet metal or of pulp board or like material, such as the carton itself is made from. Preferably the sliding closure 6 is formed of thin sheet metal.V

Its size and shape are not material so long as they are suiiicient to effect closru'e of the aperture 5 with a substantial margin about its edges. It must be sufficiently small, of course, that it may move within the boundaries permitted. Preferably it is not in any way aixed to the carton nor to the tabs thereof, but instead is interposed between overlapped tabs, and is guided by the latter and by engagement with the carton itself in such a way that it has a rectilinear sliding movement in a direction at right angles to the edges 50 and 60. l

Along one edge the slide is guided in the angle between the tab 26 and the carton face 2, but in order to avoid the necessity of guiding by the sharp thin edge of the slide, and to prevent consequent cocking and sticking of the slide in its guideway, and in order to stiffen the slide, it is preferably formed with a downwardly directed flange 62 at this edge (see Figure 7), which lies between the free edge of the tab I0 and the inner face of the back 2, or between the flap Il and the inner face of the back 2, if the flap ll is used. Held in this angle the flange 62 pro- Vides a broad, smooth guide for the sliding closure 6, whereby the latter is readily moved without cooking or sticking between open and closed positions. Along its opposite edge 6l it is not feasible to employ a second iiange, for the closure 6 preferably overlies the tab iE, which is hinged adjacent this edge, and it would be necessary to slot the tab HJ, and thus to weaken its support, to accommodate such a second flange. The guiding of the sliding closure is principally by the single flange 62, but the edge 6l is somewhat guided-at least is held downby gluing the edge of the tab 20, if sufficient margin remains (indicated by the stippling in Figure l) to the tab I0. This is not so important if the flap Il is used, for its securement to the back 2 will serve to hold down the edge 6l. Stapling may be employed, in all instances, as a substitute for gluing.

The sliding closure is moved between open and closed positions by means which cannot be bulky, which cannot stand materially above the upper surface of the carton, and which as shown is formed as an integral finger piece B5. This finger piece is best shown in detail in Figure 6, and preferably is approximately 5-shaped, though the lower bar of the S is formed by the slide itself. Such a shape provides it with a forwardly directed U-shaped opening 66, which,

in the position of Figure 3 for instance, is engaged frictionally with the tab 20 at the edge of the aperture, to frictionally hold' the closure in closed position. vThe linger piece 65 likewise defines an oppositely directed opening, which, as seen in Figure 6, similarly frictionally engages the tab ,20 at the opposite` edge of the aperture, to frictionally hold the closure 6 in its open position. There is normally suicient friction between the closure 6, with its flange 62, and the carton and its tabs, to hold the closure in any intermediate position, yet movement of the closure is not difficult.

In order that the advancing edge 60 may, if desired, materially overlap the edge 50 of the aperture, and for other purposes, it is preferred that the tab 2i] at this edge of the aperturefbe notched, as indicated at 25. Thus the edge 60 must advance well past the Vedge 50 in order that the finger piece 65 and its recess 55 may enter the notch 25 and embrace the bottom edge of the'notch. ,This position of parts isshown'in- Figure 3. 1 Thus` engaged, thesliding closure 6 thoroughly and effectively closes the aperture 5. f In order that the edges 50 and 6.0 'may Anot unduly interfere with one anotheniyet may afford a sharp lcut-off, ,thatA tabwhichnimmediately underlies the closure v6 maybe provided, within the aperture 5D, with triangular pieces IB, gradual engagement withl which by the advancing edge 60 serves to `depress the tab Il)v whichA carries these triangles I6 and to separate the latter from the topmost tab at the edge 50, thus to permit the advancing edge 60 ofthe closure to enter between the tabs 20 and lll. K v

Inorder that there maybe no depressioni in thetop of the carton, corresponding to the aperture in the topmost tab 20-that is,V in *order that the tab 20 may present a smooth, substantially unbroken surface for shipment-andvgin order also to bar accidental or 'mischievous rear' ward or opening sliding of the closure 5, I prefer that the aperture within` the tab 20be initially closed by a tear-out piece55, a corner of ,which is indicated at 55' slightly raised', as it would be tol tear out or remove this piece. Itmay be 'pere foratedufaround its edges `or otherwise prepared for ready removalQso `that there 'is a' potentiall aperture, yet While thepiece 55 is in place it holds the nger piece 65 within the notch 25, and bars any movement'of the closure 6, particularly towards open position. -The closure jlikewise closes the aperture, as well as the removable piece 55, and there `is thus provided a double closure, as

also asmooth top surface to the Cartone, '.Ihis

form of my invention is further disclosed, and is claimed, in my copending application Serial No. 312,040, filed Jan. 2, 194D.v s I f -It will be observed that the only necessary departure from the normal shape of thev carton-j that is, such departure as `is required for ,the aperture 5-is entirely within the marginal lout-` line of the normal carton blank, and thuscanbe provided readily by additional die means without departure from the normal and standard die'. Likewise' the assembly 'is substantially identical to the normal mode of assembly, except that the closure plate 6 is interposed between twortabs, as they are infolded one over the other. Its 'loca' tion, during assembly,lis assured without conscious effort by the ange '62 and by the finger piece 65. The sliding closure is simple and inexpensive, and yet is so formed that it is not likely to stick or give any trouble. The carton can be set up with this end first closed, and may be lled from the opposite end, which may then be closed in the normal manner and by the usual instrumentalities. The carton may be wrapped, if that is customary, without any departure whatsoever from the customary wrapping machines or methods.

It may be preferred to form the sliding closure of pulp board or similar material, rather than sheet metal, and such a closure is shown at 6' in Figure 4. The nger piece 65' in this form is simply a slight tongue projecting from the forward edge of the sliding closure 6 to enter the notch 25, which is laid down upon and preferably secured, as by gluing, to the upper surface of the topmost tab 20. It may be provided also with an extension 61 that folds down over the corner of the carton, and which may be glued or otherwise secured to the outei1 face of the side 3 of the carton. When it is desired to open the closure 6', the extension 61 is torn loose or lifted, whereupon the slide 6 is adapted to slide as before 1through the agency of the finger piece 65'. Like the closure 6, the closure 6' is preferably provided with a flange downwardly turned along one edge, and indicated at 62', although there "is less likelihood that such a pulpboard closure will cock and stick, as compared to the sheetfrnetal closure, hence the flange 62' may well be omitted,v if desired.

"As is indicated by the stippled portion in Figure 1,indicating gluing, the overlapped tabs 20 and l0 are `glued together, as is customary, save that a portion is leftl to accommodate the necessary slidingmovement of the sliding closure 6, which isjsunciently short thatthere is still adequate glued Y,area between Vthe tabs 2 0 and l0.

" What I claim as my invention is:

'.1'. 'A'carton having at least two vtabs hinged to and'infolded from the upper edges of two sides, into overlapping relationship,` said tabs having registering apertures affording access tov the'interiorofthe carton, athin slide, of a size to close the apertures, interposed between'the overlapped tabs, thetabs being joined to each other along the free edge vof the topmost tab, and a flange downwardly directed along the opposite edge of the slide, the slide being of a width to extend from the hinged edge of the topmost tab, towards but not to the hinge of th'eother tab, and the underlapped v tab having anv` edge disposed closely adjacent the hinged edge of the topmost' tab, to confine the flange closely therebetween, and to constitute the only rectilinear guide for the slide.

2. A cartonhavin'g at least, two tabs hinged to and infolded from the upperedges of twosides into overlapping and joined relationship, said tabs having registering apertures affording accessto thecartons interior, a thin slide interposed between the overlapped 'tabs and guided for; movement between an open and al `closed position, one of the,A edges of the slide being ar-f ranged to advance past anuedgeof the apertures into closed position, and an upwardly directed" nger piece upon such advancing edge of the slide,` the cooperating edge of the'topmost'tab only being notched to yreceive the finger fpiece, inclosed position. Q a' i vvf3. A carton" having at least two'tabsA hinged to and infolded;A from the upper edges of rtwo ysides into overlapping 'and-i joined relationship,' vsaid tabs having registering apertures aording access to the cartons interior, a thin slide interposed between the overlapped tabs and guided for movement between.- an open and a closed position, one of the edges of the slide being arranged to advance to an edge of the apertures into closed position, and an upwardly directed finger piece upon such advancing edge of the slide, said finger piece being furcated and open in the closing direction, to frictionally engage the facing edge of the topmost tab, and vthereby to retain the slide in closed position.

4. A carton having at least two tabs hinged to and infolded from the upper edges of two sides into overlapping and joined relationship, said tabs having registering apertures affording access to the cartons interior, a thin slide interposed between the overlapped tabs and guided for movement'between an open and a closed position, one of the edges of the slide being arranged to advance past an edge of the apertures into closed position, and an upwardly directed finger piece upon such advancing edge of the slide, said finger piece being S-,shaped, to frictionally embrace opposite edges of the aperture in the topmost tab, thereby to hold the tab in open or in closed position.

5. A carton having at least two tabs hinged to and infolded from the upper edges of two sides into overlapping and joined relationship, said tabs having registering apertures affording access to the cartons interior, a thin slide interposed between the overlapped tabs and guided for movement lbetween an open and a closed position, one of the edges of the slide being arranged to advance past an edge of the apertures into closed position, and an upwardly directed Anger piece upon such advancing edge of the slide, the cooperating edge of the topmost tab only being notched to receive the finger piece, in closed position, said finger piece being of a length to extend over the corner of the carton, when the slide is in closed position, and downwardly along the cartons side, for securement thereto.

6. A carton having at least two tabs hinged to and infolded from the upper edges of two sides into overlapping and joined relationship, said tabs having registering apertures affording access to the cartons interior, a thin slide interposed between the overlapped tabs and guided for movement between an open and a closed position, one of the edges of the slide being arranged to advance at least to an edge of the apertures into closed position, an upwardly directed finger piece upon such advancing edge of the slide, the cooperating edge of the topmost tab only being notched to receive the nger piece, in closed position, and `ajltear-out closure initially filling the aperture in the topmost tab, and retaining the finger piece within the notch.

7. A carton having tabs hinged along the upper edge of opposite sides, and infolded to overlap, the underlapping tab being of a length to extend substantially to the hinge of the topmost tab, and the topmost tab being of a'length to extend to the hinge of the underlapping tab, and being secured along such hinge to the carton, further tabs infolded from the top edges of other sides of the carton, joined to and mutually supporting the two first-mentioned tabs, all overlapped tabs having registering apertures affording access to the cartons interior, a thin slide interposed between the topmost tab and a tab underlapping the same, a flange projecting downwardly along one edge only of the slide, and disposed alongside the adjacent edge of underlapping tabs, said slide being otherwise unconnected.

to the carton and tabs, and being guided solely by such flange for rectilinear movement to open or to close the apertures, and means for effecting such movement of the slide.

8. A carton comprising enclosing walls having infolded and overlapped tabs closing its top and having apertures registering to define a discharge opening, a thin slide downwardly flanged at one edge only, supported solely upon a lower tab, and interposed between a lower tab and an upper tab, with its flange nested within the angle at the hinge line of the upper tab upon the carton wall, the engagement of the flange and such angle constituting the sole rectilinear guide for sliding movement between aperture-open and closed positions.

9. A carton comprising enclosing walls having infolded and overlapped tabs closing its top and having apertures registering to dene a discharge opening, a thin slide downwardly flanged at one edge only, interposed between an upper and a lower tab, with its flange nested within the angle at the hinge line of the upper tab upon the carton wall, the engagement of the ange and such angle constituting rectilinear guide for sliding movement between aperture-open and Closed positions, the lower tab being of asize to terminate and to lie closely adjacent the flange, along its path of movement, and by its engagement therewith, at the side opposite that which nests in such angle, further guiding the ange and slide for such sliding movement.

10. A carton having an upper tab and a lower tab infolded from opposite upper edges of its sides into overlapped relation, the tabs having registering openings affording access to the interior, the tabs being secured together along the free edge of the upper tab, and at the corner of the carton at the opposite side of and adjacent the opening, a thin slide of a size and shape to close the opening interposed between the tabs, and sustained by their securement, as specified, and a downwardlyprojecting flange along that edge of the slide which coincides with the free edge of the lower tab, constituting a guide for the slide for movement between open and closed positions.

ROBERT G. THOMPSON. 

